‘It’s going to be the Chipotle of Middle Eastern food’

The Halal Guys attracting a crowd, and a tourist, Camille Panzera of Brazil. (Dave Sanders for The New York Times)

If you love food from street carts in New York City, you’ll love this success story which appeared in the June 13, 2014 edition of the New York Times:

“More than a decade after three Egyptian men switched from selling hot dogs from their Midtown cart to serving halal food to Muslim cabdrivers, the Halal Guys are about to become a fast-food chain. The company — founded by Mohamed Abouelenein, Ahmed Elsaka and Abdelbaset Elsayed — signed a deal with Fransmart, the restaurant franchise consulting firm that took Five Guys Burgers and Fries from four locations in Northern Virginia and helped turn it into a chain with more than 1,200 stores and more than $1 billion in sales last year. Qdoba, a Mexican food chain, is Fransmart’s other success story.

“Within a year, Fransmart hopes to open Halal Guys outlets in Los Angeles, along the East Coast, across Canada and in the Middle East. The five-year plan is for 100 locations, as well as a presence in Europe.”

Midtown Manhattan of the early ’90s as described by the original Halal Guys was a barren landscape for street food, aside from hot dog carts.Today, you can find carts serving pork-and-chive dumplings, lobster rolls and fat-marbled pastrami sandwiches on rye.

The first shop for the Halal Guys will be on 14th Street and will serve gyro and chicken dishes, familiar to people from the trucks, as well as new healthier options and Middle Eastern desserts.